Clothes-washer.



L. W.l SERRELL. CLOTHES WASHER. APPLICATION FILED IEB.12, 1914.

Patented Mar. 23, 1&15.

LEMUEI. W. snRnELL, or PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

CLOTHES-WASHER.

speemcation of Letters Patent. Patented Mar, 23, 1915,

Appneatro'n flea February 12, 1914. serial No. 818,188.

ATo all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, LnMunL W. SERRELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new 'and useful Improvements in Clothes- Washers, of which the following is a speci-- cation. l

This invention relates to that type of clothes washing devices wherein a cupshaped or conical member is moved up and down in the tub, thus alternately rarefying and compressing the airain the cup so as to force the water through the meshes of the fabric.

My object is to provide a simple and practical mechanical device operating on thisy principle, which is attachable to an ordinary tub and insures uniform and thorough washing of all the clothes. To this end the pneumatic cup is given a movement down, across and up within the tub, so as to distribute the clothes and bring them all under the action of the cup. In the mechanical embodiment of the invention the said lcup is mounted on a plunger and carried by a pair of pivoted arms, which latter are so mounted and yactuated by suitable mechanism as ,to swing vfrom side to side past the vertical, thus moving the cup in a curved path from side to side and down and up. This movement causes the action of the cup to take place in different parts of the tub and also moves the clothes about 'so' as to insure all the articles being acted upon.

v In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention: Figure 1 is a plan view of vthe device as applied to an ordinary stationary wash-tub, the latter being shown broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the'tub, showing'the device in side elevation, with the eX- ception of a portion that is broken away and sectioned; and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The tub 4 is of the ordinary form usually built in pairs. AFor the attachment of the illustrated embodiment of my device, I secure a plate 5 to the board 6 at the back of the tub, this plate being preferably angled to lit the corner at the back of the tub and having openings 7 in uits downwardly offset portion 8. A suitable form of support for the washing mechanism comprises a twopart bar or tube 9, 10, adapted to span the top of the tub and carrying at its outer ends suitable means, such as shown at 11, 12, for attachment thereto. As illustrated, the member 11 comprises a plate having a split clamping collar portion 13, for the reception of the rear end of the tube 9, and downwardlyprojecting pins 14 for removable insertion in the openings 7, the heads of these pins being extended forwardly as indicated in Fig. 2, so that when the bar is drawn forward the heads lock it in place at the rear. The member 12 has a similar clampingcollar portion 15 to receive the forward end of the tube 10, and is further provided with a foot liange 16, to rest upon the' top of the forward edge of the tub, and a downwardly-projecting arm 17, through which is threaded a screw 18 to bear against the inclined front Wall of the tub. The support also includes a frame 19, consisting of two parts or halves 20 and 2l, which are secured at their lower portions to the inner ends of the tube sections 9 and 10 in a manner similar to that of securing the members 11, 12.

In the Iillustrated .embodiment of the invention, the frame parts comprise spaced base members 22 having inturned meeting portions 23 at their ends suitably united by bolts 24. From the base members risc spaced standards 25 having inturned meeting parts 26 at their upper ends united in the same manner as the ends of the base portions.

While the foregoing support is regarded as desirable and is specifically claimed hereinafter, it will be understood that other forms of support may be adopted without departing from the main features of my invention. y

A pair of 'swinging arms 27, 28 are disposed within the frame 19, being pivotally mounted at 32, 32, on the inner side of the frame pieces 20, so as to be capable of swinging from positions at one side of their vertical line of centers, approximately as indicated in Fig. 3, downward'and upward to the rcvverse position at the opposlte side. ln this movement they carry with them a pneumatic cup 29, of suitable form, the latter being rigidly secured to the lower end of a plunger 30,

which is pivoted to the outer ends of the arms4 as shown at 31. Thus, by swinging the arms back and forth the cup is caused to travel in a curved path in a vertical plane, substantially as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 3.

Either power or manual means may Ibe provided for oscillating the mechanism.

a l i i prise gears 84 and 35 fixed to the pivots or shafts ot the arms and an intermediate idler gear 86 journaled on one of the uprights 25. Manifestly, a sprocket and chain, or

other suitable form ot mechanism, could be substituted with equal ell'ect.

' In operation, the tub is partially filled with water to about the level indicated, the clothes are placed therein, and the attachment is applied in position. The operator then Lgrasps the handle and moves it back 'and forth through an arc approximating 1180", thus moving the vacuum cup down into the water, across and upwardly out and then back .vard in thc same path, the movement being repeated as often as necessary. I'havc ascertained that this action is especially ellcctivc in washing clothes, since it mot'cs dill'erent portions ol them `from side to side, thus distributing and mixing them,

so that by the time the washing is completed all have been acted upon uniformly.

It will be understood that l do not wishV to limit mysell to the specific details of construction illustrated, and that various changes may be made without departing from the invention.

l'Vhat I claim as new is:

l. A clothes-washer, comprising a stationary support having suitable means ot' attachment to a tub, a pneumaticI cup, parallel arms pivoted on lsaid stationary 'support and carrying said cup always in vertical position, and means lor moving said parallel arms baclc and l'orth past the vertical so as lo more saidV cup back and Alorth in an arcuate path downward, across and upward, thereby dragging the clothes alternately from side to side ot the tub.

ln a clotlus-washer, the combination ol a support, parallel arms mounted thereon to swing about horizontal axes, a pneumatic cup member carried by said arms, and means l'or oscillating said arms back and lorth past the vertical so as to cause the cup member to oscillate in an arcuate path downward, across and upward, so as to drag the elolhes alternately from side'to side at each strol-ie.

il. ln a clotlws-washer, the combination ol' a par ol' parallel swinging'arms, a plunger carried thereby and bearing a pneumatic cup, and means for oscillating said arms back and forth past the vertical so as to 4. In a clothes-washer, the combination, of a two-part bar adapted to span the top of a tub and having means of attachment thereto at its outer ends, a two-part frame, the members of which are secured to the inner ends of the parts of said bar, said frame comprising spaced base members having m-eeting portions at their ends and uprights rising from said base members and'having meeting portions at their tops, parallel arms disposed within said frame and pivotally mounted on one of the parts thereof, gearing connecting said arms to swin in unison, a vacuum cup member carried by said arms, and suitable mechanism for operating said arms to swing said cup member downward and upward from one side to the other of the vertical center line.

5. In a clothes-washer attachment for tubs, the combination ot' a sectional bar adapted to span the tub and having means of attachment thereto at its ends., a frame intermediate 'of the sections of .the bar, parallel arms mounted on said -frame, a plunger and cup carried by said arms, and mechanism for swinging said arms back and l'orth so as to carry said cup downward, across and up l' rom side to side alternately.

l. ln a clothes-washer attachment for tubs, the combination of a sectional bar adapted to span the tub and having means oll attachment thereto at its ends, a frame intermediate of Vthe sections of said bar, parallel arms mounted on said frame to swing from side to side, a plunger and cup carried. by said arms, a rock-shaft passing through one et the sections, a handle on the outer end of said sl1ai't,.and gearing at the inner end thereof for operating said arms in unison.

7. In a clothes-washer attachment for tubs, the combination of a tubular support ha ving means of attachment to a tub, parallel arms mounted on said frame to swing vlrom side to side, a plunger and cup carried by said arms so as to be moved downward, across, upward and back repeatedly, and a rock-shalt for operating said arms within said tubular support.

In witness whereof I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEMUIIL W. SICRRELL. Witnesses:

J. F. BuANimNBURa, Ensim Glmnnnnnonrc. 

